3).Amemhotep III had a long reign of almost 40 years and it was one of the most prosperous and stable in Egyptian history. Almost no military action was called for so the king turned his attention to diplomacy. He maintained a large harem and several of his wives were foreign princesses, the result of diplomatic marriages. The last 25 years of his reign was a period of great building and luxury at court and in the arts. The wealth of Egypt at this time came from international trade and an abundance of gold from the land of Kush. There is some evidence remaining of the splendor of his Malkata palace with its walls painted and plastered with lively scenes of nature. At Karnak he embellished the already large temple to Amun and at Luxor he built a new one to the same god. He also built the statues known as the Collossi of Memnon on the West Bank.Akhenaten is the new name Amenhotep IV took early in his reign and he is credited with a revolution in Egyptian history. He removed the seat of government to a new capital city, Akhenaten (modern el-Amarna), introduced new styles of art, and elevated the cult of the sun disc, the Aten, to pre-eminent status in the Egyptian religion. This last act was considered heresy and was to bring down this Pharaoh in the eyes of later kings. The beginning of his reign was not very different than his predecessors. He was crowned at Karnak and married a lady of non-royal birth, Nefertiti. He seems to have recognized the growing power of the priesthood of Amun and that is the reason given for his introducing a new monotheistic cult. The Aten had been an important symbol in the Old Kingdom so it was not completely new but it could not coexist with the cult of Amun. Thus the king decided to move his capital to a virgin site and dedicate it to Aten (Alred, 1968:67). Akhenaten also cultivated a new artistic style that allowed for the presentation of his unusual physical characteristics. He was sculpted with pendulo...
